Nobody Expects the Symbiosis Commission!
Posted on Sat Aug 15th, 2026 @ 1:42pm by Captain Remy Johansen & Lieutenant JG Jezra Siv MD
Edited on on Sat Aug 15th, 2026 @ 1:42pm
2,108 words; about a 11 minute read
Mission: Maintenance and Recovery
Jezra had been free from sickbay and allowed to go rest in her quarters for a few hours now. To her credit, she tried. Being unconscious for 3 days tended to destroy one's sleep schedule. The Trill laid in bed, tried reading, meditating, even white noise. She just wasn't tired. So she changed out of her pajamas, checked that the isoboramine monitor on her shoulder was working, and then went for a stroll.
There was no specific place she was heading. Just wherever the corridors took her. It allowed her to think, to try and remember what happened after the holodeck. She was still skeptical that Alex had managed to meld with Siv, even after she read the ACMO's report, and yet deep down she could tell that there was truth to the story.
Remy was smiling after having dinner with the Winters' family. She had known Alex pretty much her entire life and enjoyed being the 'fun aunt,' and time around them was always refreshing. As she was leaving the residential area of Deck 9, so was Jezra, coming from the opposite direction.
The two hadn't spoken much during Jezra's recovery from the attack, and they were in disagreement about Remy's decision to protect Blackstone from Vulcan inquiry. Remy wondered if the doctor blamed her for the attack. She had been shouldering some blame on herself. It was hard not to when one of your crew was hurt under your watch.
"Hello, Doctor. Feeling better," Remy asked as the two inevitably came to the juncture where they would be forced to walk down the same corridor.
Jezra glanced up when a familiar voice spoke. "Captain," she greeted. Their arguments trickled to the forefront of her mind, but she maintained a neutral expression. For one, she was certain they still disagreed on the correct course of action. Second... well, dodging death certainly put a new perspective on what things mattered. She gave a polite nod to Remy at the question. "Dr. Blackstone is monitoring some lingering isoboramine instability, but other than that, I'm alright. My sleep schedule is shot to hell though."
"But are you getting enough rest?" Remy asked, her concern genuine.
"Yes," Jezra replied, shifting her hands to rest behind her back as she walked. "I'm just not tired when I want to be. Alex is aware of it. I'm hoping the walk will help; you are welcome to join me."
"Okay," Remy replied, trying to hide her surprise at the invitation. "Is something on your mind?"
The immediate response was an uncommitted shrug, and a couple beats passed in silence. "Just trying to make sense of things, I suppose. I have... not quite memories..." Jezra frowned slightly as she searched for an appropriate descriptor. "... experiences? They didn't come from me, and they didn't come from any of the past hosts. They also aren't foreign, they feel like my experiences."
"From the attack?" Remy asked. "Or the meld?" She noticed Jezra seemed more subdued than usual.
"I think from the meld is more likely," was the reply. "I'm still skeptical that Alex actually communicated with the symbiont, but I also believe her. It's like a gut feeling, like trying to remember something you've forgotten." Jezra glanced sideways and offered a hint of a smile. "Symbiosis is weird sometimes."
"Aren't we always communicating with both of you? I mean, your are one now, aren't you?" Remy asked, genuinely confused by Jezra's statement.
Jezra gave Remy more of her attention as an eyebrow lifted slightly. "Well, yeah."
"So, what you mean you aren't sure if she communicated with the symbiont?" Remy asked, looking over slightly at Jezra as they walked.
"Ah; according to Alex's report, there was some desync between myself and the symbiont during the attack, so Siv and I were struggling to communicate," Jezra explained. Her brow furrowed slightly as she thought through an explanation that hopefully made sense. "She initiated the meld with me, and... somehow... used that to reach the symbiont. It's been largely accepted by the medical community that symbionts can't engage in a meld or higher-order telepathy, which is why I was skeptical to believe Alex." She gave a shrug to dismiss the thought. "It's fine now, I'm not at risk of separating or anything. But I, Jezra, don't remember anything that happened after Alex and I left the holodeck. When I try to recall what happened, I get these impressions from Siv, but there's nothing to associate those feelings with."
Remy was skeptical of what information the Symbiont Commission chose to release or not release, and while they were certainly entitled to an amount of privacy, she couldn't help put feel that there wasn't some propaganda involved to maintain some secrecy. It wasn't that long ago that they even admitted that some of their people carried symbionts at all - and that revelation only came about in a medical emergency.
"I'm not sure how they could definitively know that to make such a claim," Remy stated, not hiding her skepticism. "For a long time Vulcans thought that a mind meld would kill a Human, or at the very least make go insane, but we know now that isn't true. If a nontelepath can be on the receiving end of a meld, why not a symbiont?"
"Symbionts are simple life forms," was the reply. "The closest comparison I can think of is a Vulcan trying to meld with an Earth pet. Symbionts don't communicate or even process the world the way we do, they just respond to stimulus."
"Yet, they carry memories of so many lives." Remy was unsure how something could be considered simple, if it was able to do so much for its host. "There's so much the rest of us don't understand."
Jezra nodded as they continued around a corner. "Maybe the Commission will let us get a paper out of the experience," she commented with a slight smile. Despite her words, she'd advised Alex to hold off on informing the Symbiosis Commission for now. The meld was uncharted territory, and it was a decent chance that she'd receive a rather stern transmission about a meld endangering the symbiont or something. At least wait until Jezra was fully recovered was the active excuse to avoid unnecessary stress. "I'm realising I haven't toured many of the restaurants aboard. Any recommendations to combat insomnia?"
"I don't know about Trill biology, but us Humans tend to like the bakery for that," Remy offered. "Nothing like a carbohydrate binge to get you ready for a nap. Maybe some chamomile tea or warm milk."
"You really think the commission would publish it?" Remy asked. "With as many people knowing about it in our medical department, they wouldn't really be able to bury it."
The mention of a bakery seemed to perk Jezra up a little. It was probably the most pronounced emotional response since the two had started conversing. "Carbs and warm milk sound good," she thought aloud with a nod. As they started heading in the direction of the bakery, she mulled over Remy's question. "If they think it's worth sharing, they might allow it. I think the bigger concern is that once they learn of the meld, they'll probably insist I return to Trill so they can run their own scans."
"What's the biggest concern you have if they want you to do that?" Remy asked. She paused a moment before adding. "You know I don't take our disagreement over Dr. Blackstone personally. If there is anything I can do to help, I will."
What immediately came to mind was the last time she --well, Jedex-- got a slap on the wrist for yet another reckless endeavour. Which prompted a little huff of air that passed as a quiet snort. "I've been lectured by the Commission so many times now. My biggest concern is that they'll quarantine me on Trill until I give up Starfleet to become a librarian or something boring and safe." Jezra became slightly aware of her shoulder when she felt the isoboramine monitor engage.
Did Jezra take their disagreement personally? In the moment, probably. She didn’t exactly scream into a balled up uniform jacket because it sounded like a fun idea. "I appreciate the offer, but I'm capable of handling my own affairs, Captain."
Remy gestured toward a turn that took them to an area that didn't look much like a Starfleet deck at all. There were two primary areas on the ship like this,that functioned more of a promenade for shops and restaurants to give the crew and their families a reprieve from the more sterile looking grounds of Starfleet architecture.
"I'm sure you you are, Lieutenant. But the Trill government in general can be pushy. It wouldn't hurt to have Starfleet in your corner if there was a disagreement," Remy pushed though she quickly steered the subject back to something Jezra said earlier.
"You've been lectured?" Remy asked, "Personally? Or another host. I ask, because Jezra is quite young still, certainly an excuse for reckless behavior if it were you. And this -- well, it was hardly your fault at all. And if it were a prior host - what was that you said about the symbiont responding to stimuli. That was someone completely different. It shouldn't fall on you."
"Jedex, the host before me, was." Realising her earlier response was a little more blunt than she intended, Jezra purposefully adjusted her demeanour to hopefully give the impression that she wasn't actually annoyed. She actually wasn't sure where her bluntness came from. "He was a bit reckless. His... tendencies are a part of me thanks to Siv, so I'm not really free from blame. The Commission kept an eye on me for the first year to make sure Jedex's personality didn't become overwhelming."
"I don't know what they thought you could have done here," Remy answered, clearly annoyed, though not with Jezra. "You were dying on a table, and the attack certainly wasn't your fault. No one could have guessed that one of us would be come a target, and on the other side of our shields."
"I don't think they'd be annoyed with the fact that I was attacked," Jezra replied, an undertone of amusement in her tone. "If anything, they may find a way to blame my return to Starfleet on Jedex's influence. The extended medical leave on my record doesn't mention that I fought with the Commission for months to clear me, because I passed every evaluation they threw at me but they were still worried about Jedex."
They stopped in front of the bakery entrance. "Well, in terms of joined Trill in Starfleet. At least once it finally became public knowledge that Trill were a joined species, it seems to be that there are quite a few. It doesn't seem a reason to start pulling people, does it?"
That pushed Jezra's amusement into a hint of a chuckle. "If you knew Jedex, you'd understand why the Commission would want to keep him away from Starfleet." She looked toward the bakery, eyeing sweets and eventually a cinnamon roll that glistened with icing. The only way it could ooze like that was if the bread was still warm. "Well," she then said, turning back to Remy. "Thanks for the walk! Unless you are also in the mood for baked goods, I have a date with one of those cinnamon rolls."
"I'll leave you to it then," Remy replied, relieved to have an out from the conversation. Something about it seemed off. Jezra was not acting like herself, but the Captain couldn't put her finger on it. Remy didn't want to jump to any conclusions - Jezra had just gone through a major medical event, but the thought about whether to talk to Dr. Blackstone about it was crossing her mind.
"Please keep me updated," she added. "I'd had to lose my CMO to an overzealous Trill commission."
Jezra gave a little wave as she headed for the door. "Sure thing, Captain. See you westmore!"
Remy didn't hide the confusion from her face at the odd expression that Jezra used. "Right... um. Feel better, doctor. If I don't hear from you, I'll check in on you in a few days."
Captain Remira Johansen
Commanding Officer
USS Astrea
Lieutenant J.G. Jezra Siv
Chief Medical Officer
USS Astrea
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